OUR STORY

The Griffin Players are one of the longest-surviving drama groups in the Luton and Dunstable area having celebrated our Diamond Jubilee in 1994. To commemorate that anniversary Chris Baldock and Peter Vigor collaborated on an updated version of the 'The Good Companions' - a history of the Griffin Players/Vauxhall Theatrical Section. Their work is the primary source material for these pages and to them I owe a great debt.

The 'new' Vauxhall Canteen in Kimpton Road, Luton... Our spiritual home

THE THIRTIES: Humble Beginnings

The Griffin Players began life as part of the Concert Party and Dramatic Section of the Vauxhall Motors Recreation Club (VMRC). The club was founded in 1931 when a new 'state of the art' canteen and leisure complex was built in Kimpton Road, Luton. The earliest known reference to a Concert Party and Dramatic Section is dated 1934. Little is known about what the group performed at the time but it is believed that concerts may have included sketches, one-act plays and "mock trials".

In 1936 the theatrical section broke away from the Concert Party and rehearsals began in earnest for our first full-scale production. Early the following year we presented Meet the Wife our first full-length play. 1937 also saw our first entry into a drama festival.

The huge cast assembled for 1945's Barretts of Wimpole Street

THE FORTIES: At War and Peace

The onset of World War II initially threw the theatrical section's plans into disarray but the group was soon back in its stride. The group joined the variety and orchestral sections to form a concert party, named The Wyverns. After initial successes the concert party ran into production problems and the theatrical section returned to what we did best, putting on full-length plays. In 1942 we embarked on one of our most productive periods in our history, producing a dozen plays in three years including our only attempt at Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew. Several productions were taken on tour to military camps in the area and productions staged in the canteen complex had to be performed during daylight hours because of blackout restrictions and the threat of air-raids.

In 1944 the group used its considerable influence to get a new stage built in the 'staff' canteen. The ingenious construction used 'non-priority materials' (sawn-off oxygen bottles were utilised as the main stage supports!) and was built in the evenings to avoid conflict with the war effort. Despite these restrictive conditions the stage was a triumph and was in continuous use by the Griffins until the canteen was demolished in the early Nineties

The cast prepare themselves for

 Seagulls Over Sorrento (1956)

THE FIFTIES: Era of Consolidation

During the 1950's the Theatrical section went from strength to strength, presenting a string of crowd-pleasers with the occasional classic thrown in for good measure. The group also entered numerous drama festivals with gusto including a triumphant entry in the Luton Arts League's inaugural one-act drama festival in 1955. The group continued to compete in numerous festivals over the next decade with varying degrees of success.

The cast of 'The Anniversary' (1969) toast 'mum'

played by Marie Creighton.

THE SIXTIES: Artistic Differences

Throughout the Sixties the Theatrical section continued to produce an ambitious and varied programme of full-length plays and drama festival entries. However few groups can exist without a bit of conflict and a source of tension in the section was the rivalry between the factions wanting to produce populist entertainment and those wishing to present more artistic fare. In retrospect the "bums on seats" brigade can claim overall victory but with successful forays into Pinter, Chekov and Saroyan the high-brow bunch can feel that their artistic integrity remained intact.

Throughout the sixties some of the group harboured ambitions to present a musical but for various reasons this never came off. The closest we came was when the section was joined by the Vauxhall Male Voice Choir to present Scrooge the Miser in 1967.

 A typically subtle publicity shot for our 1977 production

of the classic farce Dry Rot

THE SEVENTIES: Back From The Brink

After many years of stability the group went through a period of difficulty when offices of the committee changed frequently and the production team dwindled. Ultimately, despite the efforts of a valiant few, the group folded in 1972. However this state of affairs was not to last for long and in 1976 the Vauxhall Mirror put out an appeal for interested members to join Tom Redfern, Bryan Millin and Steve Morris in the rejuvenated section. The first production by the revived group, Lloyd George Knew My Father was far from auspicious but it generated enough interest and enthusiasm to spur its past and present members onto bigger and better things. By 1978 the local critic was happy to express that with "The Brides of March" the group was finally returning to its former glory. In 1979 it was decided that "The Vauxhall Motors Recreation Club Theatrical Section" was too much of a mouthful and so, after much deliberation, the group was renamed The Griffin Players (although it was very nearly The Cavaliers!)

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